Uncharted 2: After
by Tonks32
Summary: just a little story set a few days after the events of the game. Nate is still haunted by the fact he nearly lost Elena.


Okay I just got done playing this awesome game and let me tell you I love Nate and Elena. If she isn't in the third game I'm going to be REALLY REALLY upset! They just have a great chymsety, plus I love all the bantering between the two. Espcially at the end when She asks on a scale of 1 to 10 how scared he was she was going to die :P. it's okay Nate I hate clowns as well. Anyways this is just a little story about the aftermath of the events at the end of the game. I wanted just a tad bit more romance but hey I'm a girl...

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"Pitty he took the pin."

"Get back!" he screamed vaguely hearing the grenade drop as he rushed forward to pull Elena back. But it was no use the moment it hit the ground the explosion sent them flying. The last thing he saw before things went black was Elena being engulfed in the flash. _No! Not her!_

The screams in his own head jolted him awake and nearly tumbled out of the bed. Panting, he struggled to rid himself of the image of Elena crumbled and bleeding. Nate wished more then anything he could just say it was a nightmare. He never wanted to be that close to ever losing her again. To calm his nerves, Nate glanced down to see Elena sleeping peacefully beside him. Gauze peeked out from her nightshirt causing that horrible taste to return to his mouth. The shrapnel damn near ripped her to piece. It was a miracle she even made it back to the village.

"_We have to move faster." Despite the aches of his own injuries, Nate swung her up into his arms. Elena was like a rag doll. It took great effort on her part to drap her arm over his neck to help the balance. He felt her hands on his chest, the touch faint. Tears started to build, "let's go." _

"_Okay." Chloe limped on afterward._

_Nate took two steps at a time forcing his body to move fast. He could feel the life just seeping out of her body as her blood continued to soak into his clothes. They had very little time to get her some help. "Stay with me." Nate whispered pressing his lips to her damp hair. This was his fault. He should have made her stay put or stopped her from getting to close to Flynn. He should have DONE something instead of standing there like an idiot._

"_Oh no." Chloe watched Elena's head roll limply to the side as Nate set her down upon the snowy pillar. The both watched, their breaths held, yet Elena remained still as death with her eyes clothes. The blood was a bright contrast against her ashen face and her shirt was no longer white. Chloe looked to Nate tears swimming in her eyes unsure of what to say or do. It was crystal clear to her now that he seemed to have very strong feelings for the reported._

"_Elena" Nate took her limp hand in his as he hit the snow beside her his other hand gently shaking her injured shoulder. He squeezed her hand trying to will the life from him to her and it just sat there with no hold at all. The only indication that she was still alive was the shallow movement of her chest. She couldn't die, he told himself letting his tears fall unashamed. His heart, the one that was newly healed thanks to her, was shattering once again. "Oh, god no."_

_Chloe met his gaze as he looked to her for some sort of reassurance or comfort only she had none to give. Elena had lost too much blood there was just no way they were going to make it back in time. For a woman she hated, Chloe prayed for her survival. If Elena died then so would Nate. There is just no bouncing back from this. She knew that he was already swimming in guilt for letting this happen the Elena in the first place._

_Nate gently shook her shoulder, "Elena, don't do this!" He begged stroking her clammy cheek with his thumb as he scooted closer his face hovering over hers. _

Nate forced himself from the memory as the blooded Elena was replaced with the very much alive Elena slumbering in the bed. Her body had healed a bit, but her body was still battered and bruised. It took her two days for even to gain consciousness. Nate never remembered praying so much in his life. All he knew was the moment she opened those eyes his world began moving again. He loved her. Had for a very long time, he just didn't know why it took nearly loosing him to actually accept the feelings.

Why he couldn't just say that, he wasn't sure. Chloe had urged him to tell Elena his feelings and had ever intensions of going through with it. Then they started talking about the future and he couldn't think of anything to say so he kissed her before they started joking. Nate went along with it because it was his defense. He said her possibly dying rated a four on his scale, but he had lied. There was no number or scale to truly measure the fear watching her bleed in his arms.

With one last look at her sleeping form, Nate stole from the bed to wired to get anymore sleep.

Elena awoke groggy and sore groping out only to find the sport beside her empty. Sighing, she moved her stiff to roll over soaking in the sun. This was the third day in a row that she awoke alone. Nate hadn't really given much of a reason just saying that he wanted to get an early start. They both had decided to stay in the village until she was stronger and most importantly to help these people rebuild. But she knew that it was something more then that, that drove him from the bed at odd hours of the night.

"_Stay with us, okay. You're going to be okay."_

Elena pushed herself up in the bed frowning at the memory of his voice. She wasn't sure really if it was something from a dream or something from reality. Chloe had filled her in on what happened after she lost consciousness and how frantic Nate had become. The voice in her memory was filled with despair, fear, and such sadness. Emotions that Nate hardly showed.

Sighing, she slipped from the bed to wonder over to the window. The village was already up and about clearing away broken building or wall. Her gaze wondered and finally found Nate and smiled. A half dozen children clearly lost at what they were saying surrounded the rugged treasure hunter. It seemed from here that they were trying to teach him how to speak her language. It warmed Elena's heart to see them all giggling as Nate decided to play hide and seek with them.

Nate was surprisingly well with Children. It was something that really surprised her. At a quick glance, Nate didn't seem like the settling down with children type. It went along with her earlier assumption that he was a women and ever port kind of guy. Maybe that was why she played it safe with him the first time deciding that it was best if they just remained friends. Elena thought she was the only one who walked away wounded, but it seemed that Nate took it harder then her. Well now it was time to fix things. Finally it seemed like they were on the same page with one another and wanted to give this a shot.

Nate had two children on his back and another two anchored to his legs making it impossible to move. Laughing, he swung trying to detach them seeing how none of them understood what he was saying. How could a simple game of hide and seek turn into a dog pile. He grinned when he spotted Elena making her way down the path. "You're awake."

Elena watched his face just light up and felt her heart flutter. This would work, no matter what was ahead of them, this would work. "Well some one didn't seem to want to wake me." She spoke in Tibetan and the children scrambled.

"You have to teach me that one." Nate said reaching to cradle her face in his hands, "how are you feeling."

"Fine, just like the last three morning you asked." Her body was sore and her wounds were healing, but she wasn't made of glass. He should know that by now. She frowned at the circles beneath his eyes, "how long have you been up."

"nightmare." He confessed at her questioning glance. "i just can't stop thinking about what happened. I mean what if I had lost you, I just- I can't."

Moved to tears, Elena slammed her mouth to his pouring herself in to this kiss.

Nate stumbled, caught himself, and then simply allowed himself to melt into the kiss. This would work, he assured himself. No matter what this would work. He wouldn't go another day with out her ever again.

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Very short but I wanted to write anyways. Should have wrote it yesterday it sounded so much better then in my head :P.


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